SWEETIESAL

During one of my blogging dry spells, I made myself a list of potential posts I could write and this was one of them. I actually think it's a really interesting topic to discuss as with blogging and bloggers getting their fair and unfair share of celebration and criticism, it's all too easy for bloggers to feel as though they need to conform to a certain mould.

I have always classed my blog as a hobby and I think that's why I find it easier to distance myself from the blogger bandwagon and getting to wound up by certain things but this particular subject bothers me.

Bloggers have earned many fair and unfair names for themselves over the years, some of the worst being professional bragger, freebie hunters, not having any skills or being failed journalists. Now I certainly don't describe myself as any of those things and I should imagine it's very hurtful to have people not take you seriously, label you as being shallow and ridicule the title 'Blogger'.

As YouTubers are becoming modern day celebrities and the past time itself becoming a career aspiration for youngsters, it's easy to see how much pressure there can be to 'fit in', thinking you have to spend a lot of money to succeed and frankly that really isn't the case. I have to add the caveat that I am not criticising my YouTuber peers at all, I very much enjoy watching a wide variety of content, including those haul videos that every parent probably dreads being watched, recreated or the shopping list that is prompted.

If you are a newer blogger and get caught in the competitive cycle of wanting your blog to look a certain way and produce 'haul' type content then all I can say to you is CALM YOURSELF RIGHT DOWN.

I get it. Trust me I do. I've been there and if I can do nothing other than give you some advice from Auntie Sal, it's please do not feel inferior if you are not able to fund things quite at the same level that other bloggers do. That is ok. Honest. Your blog should be individual to you and when you are just starting out it's ok to not have your own domain name or just using the standard blogger template that you customise yourself. What matters is that you are having fun and creating content that makes YOU happy.

When I first started my blog it was called 'All That Glitters' and I will be honest, it really didn't look great. But who cares? As my experience grew with writing and how on earth HTML and plug ins work, I was able to do a lot myself. Granted I do now have a Pipdig Template which I paid for but that was after a good  couple of years building my readership and establishing that my love for blogging wasn't going to die down any day soon. You can pick up some gorgeous themes on Etsy so please don't feel that you need to spend a lot on getting your blog looking how you want it to.

Think you need a DSLR camera? Think again. Yes I can appreciate that they take great pictures but a lot of phone cameras or simple point and shoot cameras can too, so just practice taking those perfect flatlay photos and don't worry yourself that you need to be lugging around a great big camera! Another tip is that if you want generic photos like I have used above Pixabay is your friend. I edit my pictures for free on PicMonkey there's also a phone app which you can edit your phone pics with too.

In terms of #bloginspo, I turn to Pinterest. It's free, it gives you TONS of ideas and often they are tried and tested. I also have to say that some of my most popular posts haven't been where I have talked about something I have bought - so don't feel like that's all people want to read as it's genuinely not!!

If you want a laugh then read this post here about when I have followed the blogging pack...